Thaindian News

New Delhi, Feb 3 (IANS) Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan has secured the last remaining seat for the 2012 Formula One season with Hispania Racing Team signing him alongside the experienced Pedro de la Rosa.

With a new management taking over Hispania, Karthikeyan feels he and his fellow-driver should have a better run in the season, starting with the Australian Grand Prix March 18.

“Everyone knows how tough it is to get a drive in Formula One and I am happy to join a team that has taken rapid strides in the last six months. With the new management taking over, the team is on the right track to be a competitive outfit in the coming seasons,” said Karthikeyan at a media interaction here Thursday.

Karthikeyan drove for Hispania in eight of the 19 races in 2011, including the inaugural Indian Grand Prix where he finished 17th after spending three months out of the cockpit. The 35-year-old was abruptly replaced by Red Bull protege Daniel Ricciardo after the first seven rounds.

The new management of the Spanish outfit, which signed former McLaren driver de la Rosa earlier, is headed by team principal Luiz Perez-Sala, who drove for Minaradi in the 1988-89 seasons.

Karthikeyan believes the experience of de la Rosa and Perez-Sala will be beneficial for a team going in the right direction after its takeover by the Spanish investment firm Thesan Captial.

Perez-Sala attributed Narain’s signing to his performance in the last season.

“I am pleased to count on Narain as he will contribute to continuity and stability. He is a quick, intuitive and secure driver who met his expectations despite a lack of continuity last year. Of the eight races he took part last season, he only failed to finish on one occasion and had a great performance in the Indian Grand Prix. And if he advances, so does the team. This is a year in which you could say that the team starts from the scratch and everyone’s inputs will be useful,” he said.

Karthikeyan will get his hands on the new car in the second testing session in Barcelona from Feb 21-24 while de la Rosa in the first session scheduled in Jererz next week.

It is a much better situation for Hispania this time around as it could get its car ready in 2011 only by the practice sessions of the season opener in Australia.